Woodlands pensioner warns of underhanded maids
Thoko Mbhele had been looking for someone who would help her around the house as she is elderly and lives alone.
DOMESTIC workers are hired to perform a variety of household services, such as cleaning or cooking, for his or her employer. But what happens when the employee takes advantage of the employer?
This was the unfortunate reality for Woodlands pensioner, Thoko Mbhele who had some of her belongings stolen from her by someone she trusted and allowed into her home.
Mbhele had been looking for someone who would help her around the house as she is elderly and lives alone. Unable to find someone who would work full time, a friend of hers referred a woman who had been looking for work. Mbhele hired the woman to work for her on a part-time basis from October last year.
“I later fell ill when I contracted Covid-19 and was admitted in hospital for some time and stayed with my sister for a while to recuperate. The virus really took its toll on me physically and even affected my eyesight. This has made me dependent on others to get around. This also meant I would need a full-time domestic worker. I called the same woman again for assistance when I returned home.
“She would clean the house twice a week or so. I first noticed some of my bed linen was missing. Not too long after that, one day while she was ironing I noticed how heavy her bag was. Searching someone’s bag is not something I’m comfortable with, but because I knew I had valuables in the house, I asked my neighbour who is a security officer to check her bag because I had my suspicions. Soap bars and my special knife collection was found in her bag.
“I asked her about this and she just gave me excuses. I alerted Blue Security who was followed by officers of Montclair SAPS to assist. “I opened a case against her and she was arrested.”
Montclair police communications officer, Derek Vijiam confirmed that the accused was taken into police custody at the time of the incident and has appeared twice in court.
“What upset me the most is how she blatantly took advantage of me knowing my condition and went on to lie to my face about what she had done. This is not the first time I am a victim of this crime. Another girl I had hired, before the accused, also robbed me of my money from my bag, while I was in the home with her.”
Mbhele said she the accused works frequently in the Montclair and Yellowwood Park areas. After witnessing her criminal ways and dishonesty she took it upon herself to have justice served.
“I am not okay. I have been living here since 2012 but I’m thinking of even selling my house and moving back home. It’s painful. With everything I have endured, especially with complications to my health, the last thing I need is for that to be used against me by someone I have given an opportunity to work and have a means to a livelihood. I don’t want others in the community to fall prey to such crime. People must be aware that this happening.”
How to run background checks before hiring personnel
In the process of hiring new staff follow these tips to conduct a background check to safeguard your yourself.
Background check: A professional background screening is a growing industry and a must if you are planning on hiring someone you are not familiar with.
ID Number: If you searched for a person by their name, or company, you can cross reference this against the ID number supplied. If you search for their ID number, with no result, you can cross reference using a name (first name and surname), home address, employment, directorship, property ownership or lease information.
Employment history: Conducting a verification of employment, especially dates, is critical during the hiring process. Verifying dates of employment is critical as falsified information on a CV or job application can cast a shadow on a person’s integrity and honesty.
Where they lived: A good background check should include a person’s history of where they lived.
Contact details: Background checks to confirm, or find, contact details are important. Contact details of people connected or linked through telephone numbers, addresses or employment help creating a list of references if needed for the background check.
Police Clearance Certificate – R114 An individual’s criminal record report is obtained by means of taking fingerprints and forwarded to the Criminal Record Centre (CRC) in Pretoria. The individual’s fingerprints through the South African Police Service Criminal Record Database, are used to determine whether any illicit activity is identified against the individual.
DID YOU KNOW? Click on the words highlighted in red to read more on this and related topics. To receive news links via WhatsApp or Telegram, send an invite to 061 876 3179. The Southlands Sun is also on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram – why not join us there?
Do you have more information pertaining to this story? Feel free to let us know by commenting on our Facebook page or you can contact our newsroom on 031 903 2341 and speak to a journalist. (Comments posted on this issue may be used for publication in the Sun).
